Syrians deserve chance to honor heritage

Opinion: Why Allentown's Syrian community should be allowed to raise Syrian flag

I believe that members of Allentown's Syrian community should have the right to symbolically honor their country of birth or heritage by the raising of the Syrian flag at City Hall as they have done for years.

I know that the State Department has had Syria on its state sponsor of terrorism list for some 35 years and that President Obama has said — not recently — that the Assad regime has to go. Perhaps, he has reflected on our attempted regime change in Iraq, which has permitted the rise of the Islamic State.

Our Syrian community of Orthodox Christians believes that Assad will protect their fellow Christians in Syria against the expanding Islamic State.

Last September Rep. Charlie Dent voted against a bill to put weapons in the hands of fighters in Syria against the Islamic State, citing that weapons may get into the wrong hands. Perhaps, this was in recognition of all his Syrian constituents in his 15th Congressional District. And, perhaps, he should have a say in the current dispute over the Syrian flag.